The Silver Doe

As Harry keeps watch overnight, he sees a silver doe on the horizon – and follows it to find the sword of Gryffindor in the bottom of a forest pool. He dives in after it but the Horcrux strangles him; when he awakens he discovers that he has been saved by Ron. Ron then destroys the horcrux, and returns to the tent to an irate Hermione and tells her and Harry how his return was made possible by the Deluminator.

Harry stared at the creature, filled with wonder, not at her strangeness, but at her inexplicable familiarity. He felt that he had been waiting for her to come, but that he had forgotten, until this moment, that they had arranged to meet.

“Ron!” [Harry] shouted, but the Riddle-Harry was now speaking with Voldemort’s voice and Ron was gazing, mesmerized, into its face.

“Why return? We were better without you, happier without you, glad of your absence….”

“Who wouldn’t prefer him, what woman would take you, you are nothing, nothing, nothing to him,” crooned Riddle-Hermione, and she stretched like a snake and entwined herself around Riddle-Harry, wrapping him in a close embrace….

The sword flashed, plunged…..

“After you left,” he said in a low voice, grateful for the fact that Ron’s face was hidden, “she cried for a week. Probably longer, only she didn’t want me to see. There were loads of nights when we never even spoke to each other. With you gone….” He could not finish; it was only now that Ron was here again that Harry fully realized how much his absence had cost them.

“She’s like my sister,” he went on. “I love her like a sister and I reckon she feels the same way about me. It’s always been like that. I thought you knew.”

Simultaneously they walked forward and hugged, Harry gripping the still-sopping back of Ron’s jacket.

Hermione slid out of her bunk and moved like a sleepwalker toward Ron, her eyes upon his pale face. She stopped right in front of him, her lips slightly parted, her eyes wide. Ron gave a weak, hopeful smile and half raised his arms.

“I don’t care!” she screamed. “I don’t care what he’s done! Weeks and weeks, we could have been dead for all he knew….” She soon reached a level of indignation that rendered her temporarily speechless…. [and] threw herself down into a chair with her arms and legs crossed so tightly it seemed unlikely that she would unravel them for several years.

“It doesn’t just turn the lights on and off,” said Ron. “I don’t know how it works or why it happened then and not any other time, because I’ve been wanting to come back ever since I left. But I was listening to the radio really early on Christmas morning and I heard… I heard you.”

“It sort of floated toward me,” said Ron… “right to my chest, and then – it just went straight through. It was here,” he touched a point close to his heart, “I could feel it, it was hot. And once it was inside me I knew what I was supposed to do.”

“About the best you could hope for, I think,” murmured Harry.
“Yeah,” said Ron. “Could’ve been worse. Remember those birds she set on me?”
“I still haven’t ruled it out,” came Hermione’s muffled voice from beneath her blankets, but Harry saw Ron smiling slightly as he pulled his maroon pajamas out of his rucksack.

about the chapter

Something You May Not Have Noticed

The Deluminator raises all kinds of interesting questions about Dumbledore. But the biggest of all is how he seems to have anticipated this exact scenario. He left the Deluminator to Ron in his will, and designed it so that it would lead Ron back to his friends – but he also seems to have designed it so that it would only do so once his friends spoke his name. It doesn’t seem likely that this was part of the instrument’s original intent; instead Dumbledore almost certainly altered it specifically for Ron. But regardless, it’s clear Dumbledore has been paying much closer attention to Ron – and to Ron’s relationship with Harry – than any of the trio has remotely realized. Dumbledore anticipated that Ron (and only Ron) would at some point walk out on his friends; he anticipated that Harry and Hermione would need some time before welcoming him back; and he anticipated that Ron would nevertheless want to come back and would need a means of doing so. It’s a little crazy sometimes just how closely Dumbledore has followed these kids….

Full Circle

Ron has grown in many ways over the six and a half years we’ve known him, but some things haven’t changed much – for his insecurities that Riddle attacks through the locket are remarkably similar to the insecurities that Ron betrayed looking into the Mirror of Erised when he was eleven years old. He’s always been overshadowed by his brothers, and always been a sidekick to his best friend who seems to have everything Ron desires. But because of that, destroying the locket is about much more than Ron’s overcoming his fears in the moment to take out a piece of Voldemort. For now he too has a heroic act of Voldemort-defying bravery to his name, and he now knows – once and for all – that the girl he loves truly isn’t interested in choosing Harry over him. There aren’t many people who would have the ability to destroy that locket, standing in Ron’s shoes. And the fact that he’s able to do it is almost certain to be a turning point in his relationships and a defining moment in his life. He may be Harry’s sidekick, but he’s no less important to the fate of the wizarding world. And I have a feeling that, after this night, that just might be enough for him.

The Boy Who Lived

On a similar note, I can’t help but wonder what might have happened if Harry had thought to take off the locket before diving into the forest pool. He would have been the one to retrieve the sword; he would have been the one to destroy the locket. But setting aside the difference this would have made in his relationship with Ron – I can’t help but wonder what the locket might have done to torment Harry. Would he have seen Hermione chastising his incompetence as well? Or Dumbledore, calling him a failure? Or would he have simply destroyed the locket before it had the chance to say anything at all? It’s especially fascinating because, prior to a couple of months ago, there’s a good chance he might have seen Ron calling him a failure – or in other words, seen exactly what eventually happened. Perhaps this is partially why he’s so sympathetic to Ron’s situation: he’s seen his deepest fears come to light as well, and he knows how it feels. And knowing that his best friend has now been through it as well probably helps heal the breach between them as much as anything else.

Something to Remember

There’s one more interesting question the Deluminator raises, of course. Which is, now that it’s clear that Dumbledore had a very specific plan in mind when he left it to Ron in his will – well, then what did Dumbledore have in mind when leaving Harry an old Snitch and Hermione The Tales of Beedle the Bard?

The Final Word

(Question: “Why did Dumbledore want Ron to keep his deluminator?”)“Because he knew that Ron might need a little more guidance than the other two. Dumbledore understood Ron’s importance in the trio. He wasn’t the most skilled, or the most intelligent, but he held them together; his humour and his good heart were essential.”–J.K. Rowling, July 2007

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60 Responses to “The Silver Doe”

Wow: I actually found the review before the “update” page went up. =)

re: the Deluminator

I must dissent on one specific point. Yes, Dumbledore had been keeping a close eye not only on Harry, these past years, but on Ron and Hermione as well, so he knew exactly what he was doing with his bequests. And yet I don’t think the Deluminator had been specifically altered for Ron: rather, I believe that that’s the way it was originally built and therefore the reason Dumbledore left it to Ron.
What I believe the Deluminator does, beside turning lights on and off, is allowing its owner to reach his or her loved one, when they call his or her name. I think it’s significant that Hermione, not Harry, is the one to speak Ron’s name and lead him back: hence the whole ball-of-light-through-the-heart scenario that gets stressed so much both in the book and in the movie (and the Academy Awards!! lol). Would the Deluminator have worked if it had been Harry that spoke the name?? I’m not too sure, even though Ron and Harry do share a rather important bond nonetheless.

In the light of all we said in the last chapter, though, it makes you wonder why Dumbledore created such an object in the first place, since the only person he was ever in love with was Grindelwald. Might he have hoped that Grindewald would one day speak his name, and he would have know through the Deluminator… And maybe visit him in Nurmengard?? Or are the speaker’s feelings as important as the listener’s, so that the Deluminator only works if the love/affection/need is present in both people?? (we are not, after all, given to know whether Grindelwald reciprocated Dumbledore’s feelings)

In any case, a Deluminator seems pretty handy to employ in a long-distance relationship… Although Apparition would probably suffice, if your partner is not hiding under tens of different spells to escape Voldemort and you have no idea where they might be…

re: the Locket

Upon re-read of this chapter, I’m all the more baffled by some post-movie reactions to the locket scene (which I found visually beautiful, second only to the Tale sequence). The movie follows the book rather closely, dialogue, movements and all… A lot of people semeed to be shocked by the H/H action, as if it had been purposefully inserted by a faithful H/H director, while it is made pretty clear in the book that the locket is making the two kiss rather passionately. That whole H/H dance scene was rather out of place, since Harry and Hermione were actually rather depressed without Ron and hardly interacting at all, but the kissing locket scene was very in-canon. =/

I remember this chapter on first read. Things had been going relatively slowly and then they suddenly speed up in this chapter. I was sure the doe had something to do with Lily but I just couldn’t figure out what. Had she become an animagus and was it her spirit guiding Harry? I had no idea but was looking forward to finding out. I was also very worried for Harry when he jumped in the water but I was also questioning his stupidity. The sword needed the recipient to show bravery but it is remarkable how close it comes to stupidity. As for Ron’s return; I knew it had to happen at some point but I was so relieved when it did. Harry yet again demonstrates that he knows more about certain kinds of ‘magic’ by letting Ron destroy the horcrux. It is definitely the turning point for Ron and Harry knew how important it was. Finally, this chapter has one of my favourite Hermione lines; “You – complete – arse – Ronald – Weasley!” Oh I laughed so much when I read that, I needed it to relieve the tension. I know the books are also read by children so don’t contain swear words but I just love thinking that the worst insult Hermione can come up with is arse.

Irene, while I agree that the movie stuck to the book, particularly in the locket scene, I can’t help but agree that this movie is very, very different from the other HP movies, and I was surprised to see all the young children in the theater. The movie has adult themes that would go over most children’s heads and I have not hesitated in suggesting to parents that the kids should grow up a bit before reading the book or seeing the movie.

It must have been assuring to realize that someone outside of the trio is helping them. (with the silver doe and all)
But I would also find it slightly alarming. If they can be found by a friend, the certainly can be found by a foe.

I definitely cringed that Harry went into the water wearing the locked. That left SO much to chance and the absolutely perfect timing of Ron’s return. Thirty seconds later would probably have been too late.

Irene M. Cesca, it’s certainly possible that the Deluminator was initially designed the way Ron uses it, but I can’t figure out why. Dumbledore may have fallen in love with Grindelwald, but he’s not *still* in love with him years later. So I can’t see why the device would have that function.

My thinking was that Dumbledore knew he needed to give Ron *something* to fulfill this purpose, and landed on an otherwise innocuous (and occasionally useful, see Malfoy Manor) object that he could further charm to do what it does for Ron. Thus he could pass it along without the Ministry, or Ron, knowing what it was for.

We’ll never know the true story, of course, though I bet Rowling has one of these scenarios in her head. The second one just makes more sense to me – I can see a reason for it to happen that way.

Anna1, I didn’t want to post this on the page, but if you read Ron’s lines in the chapter he tells Harry that he “thought he saw someone move” behind the trees just as he was running to rescue Harry. It seems to me that Snape was just beginning to rescue Harry, when he saw Ron coming and realized he didn’t have to. Would have been interesting had Ron not shown up, no? Would Snape have simply disappeared before Harry came to?

I never thought the Deluminator was specifically programmed or repurposed for Ron. After all, it acts as an Illuminator as well, and in this case it illuminated Ron, i.e. gave him the unconscious knowledge to find H & H again. And it worked pretty much like does with a light, pulling Ron’s name away as Hermione said it, then depositing Ron back at the source.

That picture by reallycorking! Finally, I get to see that hug that was so *missing* from the movie!!! And Harry is even carrying Ron’s knapsack, a detail I loved in the book. And the one by Mudblood_428 as well… that whole sequence in pictures is beautiful, really captures it! Thank you and the artists!

What is it with the movies –like a macho thing where the boys don’t touch? Most criminal of all, in the movie they gave Ron the line about Dumbledore knowing Ron “would always want to come back.” In the book, Harry says that to make Ron feel better, when Ron himself is very self-deprecating about leaving. Those moments really let us know how Harry forgives him –I have to wonder what the scriptwriter was thinking… “oh, these interactions show their friendship too overtly, better tone that down…?” Huh?!

In your “the boy who lived,” “knowing that his best friend has now been through [experiencing his greatest fears] as well probably helps heal the breach between them as much as anything else.” What a great observation.
Harry really got to *see* exactly why Ron left, and how deeply Ron felt about it all. That’s got to be better than all the explanations in the world. What you say about Harry having recently had to see his own fears come true certainly has bearing on how much Harry identifies with/sympathizes with Ron in those moments.

Amy J, I agree, the Deluminator works on symbolic level to illuminate and provide guidance and safe passage, whether by providing you with literal light or safe darkness, or bringing you safely to where your heart is/light is.
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” It does that, right?
That’s probably part of the magic of how it works :P. If Dumbledore did add this layer to it, maybe all he had to do was deepen the spells that were already there, make them apply to non-literal illumination. It’s possible Dumbledore re-worked it for Ron (even if he didn’t know Ron would leave, he knew Ron needed had a true heart which would guide him if he needed to be guided –very like Harry with the philosopher’s stone in book 1). But I think it’s just as likely Dumbledore invents useful and sometimes profound little things all the time, just for the intellectual and magical stimulation. He’s a genius and an inventor, after all!

This may be speculative on my part, but I have half a suspicion that the “sex scene” between Riddle-Harry and Riddle-Hermione may have been one of Rowling’s patented sly digs, in this case at the H/H shippers. Yes, this seems to say, one could imagine such a pairing; but the Hermione that the shippers imagine would be at once more beautiful and more terrible than the real one. Not only is it clearly not the real Harry and Hermione, but it’s depicted with a creepiness that never shows in Rowling’s depictions of her actual romantic relationships.

David, I never picked up on that, but you’re actually completely right! It does seem like something jo would do, wouldn’t it. In fatc, DH is full of these litle fandom nuggets that only those obsessed fans like us would pick up on. For example, PotterCast is well-parodied by PotterWatch (now, why on Earth it wasn’t MuggleWatch…). Jo does another dig at shippers, it seems ot me, with the whole “Oi! There’s a war going on here!” line. I like these, it makes it seem like we have an inside joke with Jo!
Also, I agree with Josie that Snape was watching this whole episode until he saw Harry and Ron emerge from the water. And I’m giggling just thinking of him watching from behind the trees, seeing Harry dive in with that locket, and doing facepalms.

I love the image of Snape doing facepalms: re-reading the chapter and knowing it was Snape who cast the Silver Doe I was actually frustrated with Harry’s each little pause, reflection, and futile attempt to summon the Sword because I just *knew* Snape was watching and thinking how big of an idiot Harry was. =p

But as for PotterWatch, I’m much more inclined to stick to the original interpretation of it being fashioned after Radio London, from WW2, which aired in Nazi occupied Europe, rather than it being a wink to PotterCast. Sure, the name is similar, but would any other name have made much sense, in the book?? MuggleWatch sure wouldn’t.

“A facepalm is a colloquial expression referring to the physical gesture of striking one’s own face in a display of exasperation. It is similar in function to a sigh. In Internet discussions, the term is used as an expression of embarrassment, frustration, disbelief, disgust or general woe. It is also used when the person making the gesture does not believe that words can express the level of idiocy.”
Wikipedia. I had to search it too :)

hpboy13, I suspect you’re right but hope you’re wrong about the PotterCast thing. I know there are other things like that in the books – the one that always bothers me the most is the repeated appearance of Dawlish. It feels so childish to me, like Jo is stopping in the middle of this incredible story to share an inside joke with her playground buddies. And I find it incredibly distracting every time I read it, like she’s just throwing out there that the rest of us poor shmucks aren’t in her club. PotterWatch is a little better, but still… I just wish Rowling had realized that these books are bigger than her and left that stuff alone when she was writing.

Josie, that’s precisely why I don’t think there’s any voluntarily connection between PotterWatch and PotterCast. Was Rowling even aware of PotterCasts while writing?? She has repeatedly stated she avoided the fandom as much as possible while the series was on-going: she probably knew just enough to give out awards from her website and make a choice regarding who to call for special, private interviews (Malissa and Emerson)… She probably had someone at her publisher’s or working directly for her to keep an eye on everything else.
And, honestly, I’m sure Rowling loves us dearly and cares about us and is probably very grateful to her loyal fanbase (she did put us all in the same group as her immediate family, when dedicating the 7th book), but she doesn’t strike me as particularly given to crowd-pleasing behavior: I don’t think she cares much about that whole part of the business and she’s not very good at it, either.

This chapter, more than any, affected me when I read it the first time. Mostly because of a part that I think gets forgotten in the shipper wars, when the locket taunts Ron about how his mother always wanted a girl. I grew up with “teasing” from my family about how I was supposed to be a boy because my older siblings were already girl, boy, girl when I came along and I knew how much my mother really wanted another boy to name after her father. After me were two more girls, so my parents only ever had the one boy. And while I know my parents love me and wanted me and wouldn’t trade me for anything, whenver the “joke” was told, it hurt. Reading about Ron feeling the same way really got to me. It’s amazing how JK Rowling could put that feeling out on the page.

Irene M. Cesca, by book seven Rowling was paying a lot of attention to Leaky, though not much to anybody else from what I gathered. Dawlish was a running joke that one of the TLC podcasters had, making fun of how stupid he was (I think mostly because of his name). It’s why he was inserted into DH seemingly 8,000 times as a bad Auror, and in an interview the day after the book was released Rowling gave his first name in an interview, saying it was in honor of the podcaster. So she was definitely more than aware of PotterCast.

Hermione’s attack on Ron is read by most of us as funny and endearing (not to mention completely understandable), but I really find it disturbing. Hermione hasn’t, at this point, learned to control her violent temper. Remember those birds? And her pummeling of Draco in their third year?

If she continues to indulge her violent streak like this, the effect on Ron and their children is going to be devastating. Her family appears to be very happy nineteen years later, and I hope that means that she does learn to control herself when she’s angry.

It’s hard not think that Hermione is getting away with this violence because she’s a girl. If Ron launched an attack like this on Hermione, we’d see him as an abuser and a criminal – possibly a sociopath.

Hermione is a great role model for girls in many ways, but not in the way she handles her anger.

Josie, I don’t object to the PotterCast or Dawlish throwbacks as much as you do. I’m no huge fan of Leaky, but if Jo inserted the stuff so seamlessly that no one not privy to the inside joke saw anything amiss (like many users here), then she did not lessen the narrative at all by these throwbacks. It’s not like she suddenly started saying “Harry drank Coke. Harry now loved Coke. All anyone at Hogwarts drank was Coke.” or some other blatant references or product placement like that.
Billie, if you want to talk abotu Hermione’s affect on the family, can we talk about the fact that Ron is lying to his wife without a second thought in the epilogue, as well as encouraging a prejudice against Slytherins in his kids? I’d imagine things like that would be much worse than an occasional fit of temper.

Re: Ron and Hermione’s relationship. Aren’t they just human? I mean, we’ve read about Hermione every day for seven years (through middle and high school, no less) and she’s flown off the handle a handful of times. I’d have to imagine that’s true for an enormous percentage of people as they grow up. And as for Ron’s lying and anti-Slytherin behavior… again, wouldn’t most people be guilty of things like this from time to time? Arthur hides the motorcycle from Molly….

I also disagree strongly that sending a flock of birds after a boy who’d just cruelly and publicly jilted her (at age 16), punching one idiot kid in the face (at age 13), and having to be restrained after one of her best friends and the love of her life walked out on her for weeks (at age 17) constitute a “violent temper.” We’ve got thousands and thousands of pages that speak to her temperament much more strongly than a few isolated, relatively minor, and frankly fairly justifiable events. And as for Ron and Hermione’s relationship via Ron’s lying… I mean, isn’t this the relationship they’ve *always* had? If they stopped bickering and became “perfect” it would be a fairly tale that’s wildly inconsistent with the very real characters Rowling has been drawing for seven years. Sure, they grow up – nobody’s defined by what they were at 17. But I don’t see anything to cause grave concerns, and if these little things weren’t there, then what kind of characters would they be, anyway?

Billie, it’s hard to say for sure, but I think so. I just don’t see where three isolated incidents as a teenager would classify a person as violent.

Although actually, the more I think about it, the more I think I do have a direct comparison. Harry. He attacks Malfoy at the Quidditch match fifth year (and inflicts a heck of a lot more damage than Hermione does with a single punch); he curses Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle twice until they resemble slugs, uses the toenail-growing curse on Crabbe, and Sectumsempra on Malfoy, which strike me as quite as bad as Hermione’s birds; and he too has to be restrained from going after Ron when Ron storms out three chapters before Hermione encounters the same problem. None of these bother me either. In fact it strikes me that it’s possible one reason we’re talking about Hermione’s violence in the first place, and not Harry’s, is *because* she’s a girl, no?

Well… Men and women should be treated as equals but they are NOT actually equal in the sense that they might be completely interchangeable. A woman is a woman. A man’s a man.

Hermione punching Draco is just NOT the same as Harry punching Pansy.

But if Harry had sent birds after Cho or Ginny while he was in love with them and they were snogging someone else it would have been just as comical and pathetic… Only, of course, Harry didn’t have the same ralationship with those two girls as Hermione with Ron, so it would have been a little more petty.

As to the outburst when Ron came back: it would have been exactly the same the other way around… Without even a difference to the attempted violence, since Hermione was threatening magical violence, rather than physical.

I think the reason I didn’t think of comparing Hermione’s violence with Harry’s is because they are treated so differently in the books. Harry seldom gets away with anything. He faces steep penalties when he attacks Draco in books 5 and 6. We watch him become increasingly aware of his need to control himself, and he seems to have achieved a significant level of self-mastery by the end of book 7.

Hermione, on the other hand, gets away with her violent actions, and shows no remorse. Perhaps she’s undergoing a process of gaining self-control similar to Harry’s, but we sure don’t see it.

That being said, it may well be that you guys are right and I’m overstating my case.

I’ve always wondered…did Ron leave a note or anything for Bill and Fleur when he left? Wouldn’t you freak out a little if your brother showed up from a secret mission – clearly upset – stayed for a few weeks, and then disappeared one night?
Also, did he take his rucksack when he left the tent, or did he keep the Deluminator in his pocket all the time?

I’m sorry… I’m re-reading ahead and I’ve gotten to Neville filling the Trio up on what’s been happening at Hogwarts… And now that I know the Dawlish thing it made me laugh that he’s the poor bloke who gets floored by Augusta Longbottom. =D

I thought I’d share, since we were commenting on that. Augusta is badass, by the way!! But more on that on chapter 29. =)

Billie, I’m gonna take issue with the fact that Harry never gets away with anything. On the contrary, he gets away with EVERYTHING. He breaks rules left and right, and almost never gets punished for it. Madam Hooch says “don’t touch the brooms.” Harry flies on the broom. He gets put on the Quidditch Team, the only exception to the first-year rule in a century. It’s because he’s a saintly Gryffindor, and everything Gryffindors do is justified, as opposed to the big nasty Slytherins who deserve to be punished for everything.

hpboy: since when do the Slytherins get punished for everything? Not only are the evil element among them a major political force until the end of the book, there are several abuses of power they get away with throughout the seven, and I think Josie would have a lot to say on the Lion and the Serpent incident, for one thing.

Josie, this is my absolute favorite chapter in all seven books, and I’ve been so anxious to read what you have to say about it, and your analysis was exactly what i wanted to read.It took me a long time to figure out which part of all seven books I like the best, and “The Silver Doe,” definitely won in my heart. I guess I’m just a sucker for Ron/Hermione stuff!
I just wanted to say that I think you’re doing a wonderful job with this site, and you definitely did my FAVORITE chapter justice. :)

@Irene M. Cesca (from WAAAY up in the thread): YAY, ANOTHER MARK READS reader! :D
This site and his are my Harry Potter fixes. I find the differences in tone between the two amusing, too –both great in different ways! :) I’ve also been following Mark’s Hunger Games read and, though I wasn’t impressed with the first book in that series, it does get legitimately good by the end.

I started reading Mark with his TWILIGHT reviews… Which are *totally* spot-on!! So I was mortally afraid he would bash HARRY, too. =)
I love his keysmashes, but here’s where I come to regain my sanity and do some actual thinking on the story.

I’d like to point out for the full circle part; the scene in which Ron saves Harry from the water is an reflection of the scene when Harry saves Ron in the Goblet of Fire during the second task. Its something just between them because Hermione is absent and out of the way in that scene too, having been saved by Krum.

Its kind of a personal thing just between them. Ron takes the mick in Book 4 but in the same situation he shows he’d do the same for Harry (of course his IS actually life threatening)

The Silver Doe is my favorite chapter in Deathly Hallows. Time and time again, Harry Potter faces his inner demons, such as the resurrection of Voldemort. But this chapter is the shining moment in which Ron, the faithful sidelined-sidekick, finally confronts his own inner demons, insecurities, and feelings of inadequacy and self-worth. Ron gets an incredible amount of flack for walking out on Harry and Hermione, but it took an incredible amount of courage to come back and admit his mistake. And the great irony, of course, is that what most inhibited Ron’s return was Harry and Hermione’s crippling reluctance to talk about the issue. But his own departure contributed to his problem, as Ron served as a mediator and facilitator between Harry and Hermione.

The Deluminator also possesses an interesting parallel with the Taboo, which is explained around this time. Both the Taboo and the Deluminator function as a means for people to be tracked down when their name is spoken.

This was such an endearing chapter. The scene with Ron pulling Harry out of the water and saving him…Harry having to glance at Ron over and over again, absolutely sure that he would disappear as some image…it was all just incredibly moving.
I felt awful when Ron had to see what he did before destroying the horcrux. It never occured to me that someone else in his place would have never been able to do what he did. It was just really sad that he thought all of those things and had to be put through it before finding the strength to destroy the locket. Horrible.

Harry had to comfort his friend. That was incredibly moving. I didn’t see the suspicion that Ron had about Harry and Hermione. It was great that an incredible friendship was found again. That Ron ended up being a hero.

The chapter continued to focus on Ron, Hermione, and Harry’s relationship. The way that Rowling was able to describe that friendship was absolutely moving. I loved that Ron came to Harry’s rescue. I love that Hermoine finds out about it later:)

I don’t think that Harry would have been able to get the sword of Gryffindor even if he had taken the locket off. As Dumbledore said in the Chamber of Secrets, the sword of Gryffindor only comes to those who are showing courage or doing something worthy of receiving the sword. Yes, Harry was going to destroy a horcrux with the sword, but I think Ron was able to get it because he was acting selflessly and saving Harry and just happened to get the sword, too. I don’t think Ron knew the sword was down there originally since he asked Harry what he was doing after he saved him. Just a thought.

@Key: that seems quite possible to me, but I do wonder then how Snape expected Harry to get it…maybe he thought diving into freezing water would be enough. Maybe it’s supposed to emphasize that Snape still doesn’t entirely understand certain good magic.

I have to confess that up to this point, I was feeling a little lost and let down by DH. Here we were, halfway through the book, and my favorite predictions and theories had either been contradicted or glossed over. It looked like Snape was a bad guy after all (slicing off George’s ear convinced me of that). Fleur didn’t get killed at her wedding (in mythology, Veela are spirits of girls who die on their wedding day). No one was revealed to be hiding at Godric’s Hollow, and we still don’t know how LV got his wand back. The relationship between Tonks and Lupin hadn’t really been developed or justified (aside from “Hey, guess what? We’re married now! And we’re having a baby!”). Most unforgivable of all, it looked like everyone’s pet theory, the Snape/Lily connection, was never going to come up. But then, there was The Silver Doe. I’m pretty sure that I shrieked out loud when I saw that chapter title, because I KNEW what it was and what it meant.

As many of you can probably relate, I was one of the people who spent months visiting forums, discussing what might happen in the final book. I didn’t have too many unique theories—sometimes I would think I came up with something brilliant, but then find out that others had already come up with the idea and ripped it apart. One time I joined a discussion of “What is Snape’s Patronus?” A lot of people guessed a bat, spider, snake, or even a fox to represent his sneaky nature. But I said something like, “Since everyone’s pretty sure Snape loved Lily, maybe his patronus changed to something that represented her (like Tonks’ did). We don’t know of any particular animal associated with Lily; the only thing I can think of is a doe, since James’ was a stag.”

So, anyway, I just had to brag a little bit about my ONE shining moment in Book 7 predictions:) My other ones, however, were complete pig swill. Did anyone else here make predictions that came true (or any that were totally wrong)?

Absolutely one of my favorite chapters in the series, along with The Prince’s Tale! Friendship fixed, we see Snape casting a Patronus similar to that of his loved one to aid Harry, and Ron’s character grows to a whole new level. Indeed, what is not to like? :)

Plus, H/H shippers, as well as R/H ones, are undoubtedly satisfied, suffice to say.

Nobody’s mentioned this, as far as I can tell, but I thought it appropriate that this chapter is set in the Forest of Dean. Now, we know that Rowling set it there because she visited it in her childhood, but the Forest of Dean also turns up in some stories about King Arthur, as the place where he’d go hunting whenever he held court at nearby Caerleon. And Gryffindor’s sword in the ice echoes both the Sword in the Stone and Excalibur in the lake, merged. Furthermore, white deer often lead someone to a marvel (like the sword in the ice) in Arthurian romances. (I could add the locket’s taunting Ron with visions of Harry and Hermione as a couple, as an echo of the Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot triangle, but I think that would be stretching it.)

Josie, I would also like to think that Dumbledore had modified his Deluminator to guide Ron.
In the first book the Deluminator was referred to as the put-outer.
So in a sense, J.K had even modified the device herself to accommodate Ron!
Had to have a laugh at Billie’s comment. Geeez!! Are we so politically correct that a person can not even get angry in a ficticious book without being accused of ‘violent’ and ‘sociopathic’ behaviour. A little over the top!
Most books would be quite boring if every author felt that way..
No offence intended, just IMO..